Teens raise awareness of suicide prevention in Canandaigua

Teens participating in the St. Benedict Parish Summer Service Camp last month have spread the word about a resource in suicide prevention.

Dawn Burdick, pastoral associate at St. Benedict Parish, said a group of about 20 teens took part in a project to raise awareness in the community about the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, a 24/7, confidential hotline available to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress. 2-1-1/LIFE LINE, a program of the Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired-Goodwill of the Finger Lakes, is a member of the lifeline network, handling all callers dialing the lifeline from the 585 area code and some regions of the 315, 607 and 518 area codes.

“Kids are dealing with this, so we’re trying to help them,” Burdick said. “I thought it was important to do something around suicide.”

In addition to group discussion about suicide prevention, the group came up with a list of locations around Canandaigua, such as Thompson Health and local businesses, where it would like to distribute posters, magnets and other materials with information about the hotline, Burdick said. They then went to those locations and gave presentations about the project.

“We just wanted to go out and spread the community word,” said Kristen Tennity, a senior at Canandaigua Academy who participated in the project. “It’s a huge issue that people should be aware of.”

National Suicide Prevention Week is this week, through Saturday.

According to ABVI-Goodwill, suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States. In Ontario County, the age-adjusted suicide death rate per 100,000 residents is 8.7.

Shye Louis, 2-1-1/LIFE LINE manager, said that in the past 12 months, the 2-1-1/LIFE LINE crisis and information center has handled more than 1,600 contacts from residents of Ontario County. Nearly 50 percent of the people who reached out for help talked about a mental health concern, including those struggling with thoughts of suicide, she said.

“Suicide is the third leading cause of death for 15- to 24-year-olds, so we are excited about the efforts of local Canandaigua teens to promote suicide prevention and awareness,” Louis said. “Learning the facts about suicide and knowing about resources that are available can help save lives.”

Among the locations in Canandaigua that the teens went to was the Canandaigua Business Improvement District office.

BID Executive Director Katherine Nevin said the teens provided posters and other materials, and her office is encouraging businesses to help spread the word about the hotline.

Nevin added, “I was just really impressed they took the initiative to come and speak to different groups in the community.” About the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, (800) 273-8255, is a national network with a nationwide, toll-free number linking certified crisis centers together under one number. The lifeline is a 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week, confidential suicide prevention hotline available to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress. For more information about the lifeline, visit suicidepreventionlifeline.org.

The 2-1-1/LIFE LINE is a member of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline network, handling all callers dialing the lifeline from the 585 area code and some regions of the 315, 607 and 518 area codes. The 2-1-1/LIFE LINE can also be reached by dialing 211 or (877) 356-9211. Visit 211fingerlakes.org for more information.